Liverpool FC’s futuristic stadium plans are scrapped

Dec 18 2007 by David Bartlett, Liverpool Daily Post

LIVERPOOL FC’s plans for a new stadium have been delayed by a year, after the club scrapped its latest design due to soaring costs.

The sudden move means the club will have to re-submit a third planning application for a new ground – a project which has been on the drawing board for the past eight years.

Last night, Walton MP Peter Kilfoyle hit out at the owners for “not showing regard” for the residents of Anfield.

Fans’ clubs said that it was important that, whatever plans now came forward were affordable and did not impact on manager Rafael Benitez’s ability to buy players in order to be able to compete on the field.

It came after a weekend of speculation that had seen Liverpool FC rubbish reports that they were scrapping plans for a new stadium.

Yesterday, chief executive Rick Parry admitted they had been forced to bin off their futuristic design that was revealed to virtually universal plaudits in the summer.

Yesterday, he said: “We are now considering two schemes but the stadium will be a 70,000-seater.

“The new stadium will be a significant improvement on the original plans and a slightly downgraded version of the new ones. And it will be a massive improvement on where we were 12 months ago, if not quite as dramatic as the plans unveiled in the summer.

“The single-tier Kop remains fundamental to the design and we are not expecting any delays – it should be on schedule for 2011.”

Last night, the club’s website said it was on track to open a new ground in the 2011/12 season.

When the club had announced its spectacular stadium in July, the club had said it hoped to open the new stadium in time for the 2010/11 season.

That stadium proposal had a capacity of 60,000 and received planning permission in November.

The stadium was designed in such a way that it could be expanded to 76,000 – but would have needed a further planning application to do so.

Last night, a council spokesman said the club would need to submit a new planning application for another design and would also have to include an environmental study and transport plan if the club wanted to increase capacity above 60,000 from day one.

Mr Kilfoyle said: “I am very concerned about this. There are a lot of people in Liverpool who had put their faith in the Liverpool plans.

“I have also got concerns about how committed they [the owners] are to this. For them it is business, but it’s more than business for the people living in the shadows of Anfield.

“I just wish that the original plans had gone ahead, because it seems that we have gone circle.

“Great expectations have been raised and now they are reeling back in the face of economic reality.”

Les Lawson, secretary of the Merseyside branch of the official supporters club, said: “Let’s make sure that what they come up with is affordable and not going to affect squad re-building.”

davidbartlett